Flirty (9 page)

She took in his laid-back look. “Is everything always so easy for you?”

Something moved over his eyes, some deeper emotion that she’d never before seen on his face. As she tried to puzzle it out, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and he gave her one of his infamous grins. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “Now come on, let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, Lex sat on the sofa next to Katy and played a game of peek-a-boo with her sweet daughter, Katherine. All around her kids played together and women chatted about their work, their families and the bountiful fishing season they were having in Whispering Cove while they partook in silly shower games.

On the other side of her she half-heartedly listened to a conversation between Lila and the bikini-clad girl with the chocolate lab, who happened to be Lila’s sister visiting from Chicago. Apparently Lila’s sister Eden had been flirting with Sam during the beach party in an effort to get Jacob to see her as something more than a fellow dog walker. Unfortunately, her efforts proved futile.

A door opened and Lex glanced up in time to see Josie stepping into the room with Tabby, whose cheeks were glowing with happiness. After all the Braxton Hicks Tabby had been experiencing recently it was easy to tell how ready she was to be done with her pregnancy and get on to mothering.

“Okay, time to open the presents, then we can eat,” Josie said, rubbing her little baby bump as she quieted the crowd down. “Katy made her famous lemon chiffon cake, and I know we’re all dying to dig in.”

Laughter broke out and then they spent the next hour unwrapping presents. As Lex watched Tabby showcase the new baby clothes, a strange sensation began growing in her stomach. She’d never thought about having kids before, never thought about settling down and raising a family. But seeing how happy these women were and watching their kids play seemed to have flicked a maternal switch in her.

The women all oohed and aahed over the tiny clothes and gifts and even though Lex was sure she’d feel like an outcast, like she didn’t belong at this gathering, she couldn’t deny that everyone here made her feel welcome. It was the first time in her life she had a sense of belonging. No, she corrected herself. It was the second time. The first was with Sam.

An uneasy feeling curled through her. Oh, boy. Maybe agreeing to this affair wasn’t her smartest move. Then again, she hadn’t been making a lot of great decisions lately, considering she bought a heritage home that was going to end up bankrupting her, and make her the laughingstock of her family.

Tabby squealed when she opened Lex’s gift, and as everyone’s eyes lit with excitement, Lex exchanged a private smile with Skylar. After visiting her shop with Tabby last week and catching the way Tabby admired all the pieces, Lex had commissioned Sky to create a one-of-a-kind multi-colored glass mobile for the baby’s nursery. She couldn’t be happier with how beautiful it turned out.

As the gorgeous piece played Brahms’s “Lullaby”, Tabby thanked her profusely. After a long time she set it aside and turned her attention to the other parcels. Once all the gifts were open everyone made their way to the spacious dining room, with the long antique table, gorgeous wainscoting and tray ceiling. As they feasted on finger food, veggies and dips, the women laughed and joked. Lex joined in, temporarily forgetting her worries as she became a part of this womanhood.

She helped herself to a piece of cake and as she bit into it, she ran her hand along the cream-colored panels, admiring the craftsmanship.

“Isn’t this place gorgeous?” Lila asked, coming up beside her.

She glanced at the pretty brunette with the long dark curls. “It is,” Lex said, then she cocked her head and asked, “You run the bed and breakfast, right?”

Lila’s eyes lit. “I do.”

“I’m curious. Did you renovate it when you took it over?” Lex asked, wondering if she too had faced roadblocks with the restoration committee.

Lila nodded, traced a longing finger over the rail and said, “Yeah. I love how it turned out but I sure wish Sam had been around. He has an ability to see things others can’t.”

“What do you mean? Like ghosts?” Good Lord, did crazy old Errol think Lila’s place was haunted too?

Lila grinned. “Well yeah, but I’m talking about his work, and his attention to the ornamental detailing. He can envision things the rest of us can’t.”

“I know. I wish he worked with me,” Tabby said, stepping up to the two.

Lex’s focus went from Lila to Tabby back to Lila again. “You two lost me.”

“Just look around,” Tabby said, then she called out to Josie. “Hey, Josie, is it okay if I give Lex a tour?”

“You bet,” Josie said. “Be sure to show her the gorgeous, carved handrail leading upstairs. It’s the original.”

“Come on,” Tabby said, and both she and Lila followed her into the den, where Tabby began pointing out all the trims, the detailing and the old-time craftsmanship that Sam had respected and adhered to when refinishing the house. Then she showed her the old rolled glass window, much like the ones in Lex’s place.

“Wait,” Lex said, shaking her head. “Are you telling me Sam did this?” She spun around the room. “He restored this den.”

Tabby shook her head. “No, I’m telling you he restored the house.”

Lex’s jaw fell slack. “Sam did all this?”

“You mean you didn’t know?” Lila asked.

She gave a bewildered shake of her head. “I had no idea.” She took a moment to think back and remembered his reactions when she talked about changing the windows, tearing out the hearth, refinishing the place from the ground up. He’d looked physically ill. “Sam never mentioned any of this to me.”

Tabby nodded her head, like she knew something Lex didn’t, but instead of explaining she said, “Well if I were you and had Sam staying with me, I’d be sure to pick his brain. With his help, you could have the most beautiful heritage house in all of Whispering Cove.”

“He really understands and appreciates craftsmanship reflective of the period, that’s for sure,” Lila added.

Dumbfounded, Lex followed the two women around the house as they showed her the features. Sam was right when he said he had a talent most didn’t, and it wasn’t just in seeing the supernatural…or in the bedroom. The place was absolutely gorgeous, and to think he’d restored this by himself was beyond impressive. It did, however make her wonder more about him, and why, after sleeping with her for a week, he kept this side of his life private when she’d spilled so much about herself.

After the shower, she made her way along the bustling streets. She breathed in the smells of the ocean and raw seafood as she watched the fishermen bring in their catches and sell it at the outdoor market. She found herself smiling. This really was a quaint old town, and the people in it were so different from the city where she lived.

As she passed by Hauk’s bar, she caught a glimpse of Errol, Harold and Byron making their way inside. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but she did hear something about a month’s worth of rum. She also saw Errol swinging his cane, walking like he didn’t need it at all.

She hurried home, and when she stepped inside the old Victorian home, she just stood there for a moment. As she looked around, taking in the grand front entrance, she suddenly began seeing the rundown place with its paint-chipped walls and battered floors in a new light. She made her way from room to room and considered the drastic changes she’d put in her report and sent to the restoration committee. Changes that didn’t adhere to their code. She truly loved the work Sam had done on Josie’s home and wondered how he might envision this house, if she was keeping with old-style tradition. There was no denying that the man had talent. So why did he leave Whispering Cove some ten years ago to become a ghost hunter in New Mexico when the people here clearly loved his work? He definitely had a future in the renovation industry.

She ran her hands along the crumbling hearth, and when footsteps heralded someone’s approach she spun around. Her heart did a weird little leap when she caught Sam standing there watching her, a small smile on his face.

“How was the baby shower?”

“It was great.” She looked at his tanned face. “How was sailing?”

He took a predatory step toward her. “Fun, but not as fun as hanging out with you. It’s all I could think about all day.”

She swallowed at the heat she spotted in his eyes. “Sam?” she asked.

His steps slowed and he gave her a curious look. “Yeah?”

She waved her hand around the empty living room. “If you were to renovate this room, what would you do?”

Conflicting emotions moved over his face, and he jammed his hands in his pockets and went quiet for a moment. Then, tone sober, he finally asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“I saw your work at Josie’s place today.” She gave a slow shake of her head. “I had no idea you knew how to do any of this.”

He shrugged like it was nothing, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes when he said, “That was a long time ago.”

“I know, but I’m still curious to know what you’d do with this place if given the chance.”

Sam walked over to the hearth. He ran his hands over the rough stone, and went quiet for a long time.

“Sam?” she asked.

“First I’d bring this back to life, and give it the proper care it deserves.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled and said, “Can you imagine all the families that lived in this house, all the kids who sat on this wooden floor and huddled around this hearth on a cold winter night?”

Lex smiled as she pictured it, and then something lit in Sam’s eyes when he moved to the window to examine the trim. Once he started talking, he couldn’t seem to stop, and Lex just stood there in amazement listing to his ideas, shocked and a little impressed at how deep and profound this laid-back playboy really was.

He moved around the house, and she followed, listening quietly and intently as he spoke. Even though his ideas completely conflicted with what she wanted, she couldn’t deny that the man had a rare talent. He clearly loved restoration work more than anyone she knew. Which once again had her wondering why he’d run off to New Mexico.

“Look at this dark wood trim, Alexis.” He grabbed her hand and took her into the front entranceway. “Touch this.”

She ran her hand down the oak railing. “Can you imagine how many kids slid down this?” He gave a slow shake of his head and said, “The stories this house could tell.” His fingers closed over hers, his grip warm and strong as he led her outside. He took her to the side of the house where he touched the bright red, paint-chipped cedar shingles, and she felt excitement bubbling up inside him. “Over two centuries ago, this house was painted red to help the captain who lived here find his way home after being out to sea.”

“You know a lot about this house.”

“I know a lot about Whispering Cove, and every house has a similar story.” He backed her up a bit and pointed to the widow’s peak. “Over the centuries many women sat in that widow’s peak, waiting for their loved ones to return. My mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother spent a great many hours in theirs as well.”

Loving this enthusiastic side of Sam, she couldn’t help but feel something stir inside her too. She loved his zest for life, and that he could see beauty in everything around him, even when it was crumbling before their eyes.

“Don’t you see, Alexis?” he said, passion and excitement in his eyes. “This is what the house was meant to be.” He gave her a sexy, bad-boy grin that made her pussy clench with want as he led her back inside the house and up the wide staircase. “Maybe that’s why the spirits are upset with you,” he teased with a wink.

When they reached her brightly lit bedroom and found her suitcase lying wide open on the floor, exactly where it had been before it went missing a week ago, they both stopped midstride.

“What the heck?” Lex asked, bending down to grab her coveralls from the pile. She blinked up at Sam. “When? How?”

“I have no idea,” Sam said, his voice lower, his eyes darker as they moved over the short dress she was wearing, a dress that she’d never be caught dead in before Whispering Cove. “Maybe there really are ghosts at play here, and maybe they are trying to tell us something.”

“Like what?” she asked, her voice a little higher than normal as Sam visually undressed her with his eyes.

“Well,” he began as he slowly backed her up toward the cot, passion backlighting his eyes. “Maybe they’re trying to tell you that instead of making the house into something it’s not, you’re supposed to embrace the beauty of it just the way it is.” As she acknowledged the flare of desire between her legs, he took the coveralls from her and tossed them aside. He trailed a finger over her mouth and her neck, going lower until he reached the button on her dress. His eyes locked on hers and he softened his words when he added, “And maybe they took all your boy clothes because they are trying to tell you that
you
are the way you’re meant to be too. That you should stop trying to be something you’re not.” He toyed with the button and fingered the floral dress, rubbing the material between his thumb and index finger in a way that had her hormones firing and her brain cells melting.

Heat rose in her, and her fingers curled in his T-shirt as sexual energy arced between them. God, everything in the way he looked at her made her feel so beautiful, like she was one half of something very special. But she was here in this coastal town to prove herself, not to fall in love with the town, the people in it, and more importantly, Sam Doherty, a man who, she was coming to learn, was so much more than he appeared.